RIDING TRAINS

OPERATING HOURS

Trains do not run 24 hours.
Trains in Central Tokyo operate from roughly 5:00 AM (some a little earllier at 4:30) in the morning to around 12Midnight/1AM in the evening (depending on train line and station are you getting on/off at).

There are usually no service schedule changes for weekends or holidays, the trains usually run at the same times everyday.  For more information on tickets and schedules, see the ticketing page.

ENTERING THE GATES

 Tokyo Metro, Japan Railways, Toei Subway etc, all use very similar systems for ticketing and collection so all of the below apply the same.

ticket gate Once you have purchased your regular fare ticket, or IC card, the first thing you need to do is enter the system. To do so, you need to first pass through the entrance fare gates.

 If you have a regular ticket, you insert your ticket and collect the ticket as you walk through. If you have a IC card (Suica or Pasmo), you just tap the card over the sensor to walk through the gate.

If there is something wrong with your ticket or IC card, the automatic gates will alarm and close. In which case you would need to walk over and talk to the station staff at the manned gate.

RIDING THE TRAIN

 Each railway company offers railway maps in many languages, so please consult the map to find out which train line you need to ride and which station you need to get off at.

All stations have signage in both Japanese and English.
Also, many trains have on board announcements and displays that rotate in both Japanese and English.

 Just follow the signs to your train and pay attention to on board announcements to get off at the station you need to.

EXITING THE STATION

 To exit the station, you insert your ticket or tap your IC card over the sensor (like how you got into the station).

If you are inserting a regular ticket, the machine will keep the ticket (so don't worry if you didn't get your ticket back).
Again, if there are any troubles, the gate will close and alarm, in which case you would have to go to the manned gate and talk to the station staff.

If your IC card or ticket does not have enough money on it, you can use the FARE ADJUSTMENT MACHINE to adjust the amount of money you need to exit the station. Just insert your card or ticket into the machine and pay the amount that needs to be adjusted.

Once you exit the gates, there are usually large maps that can direct you to which ever exit you need to go.

MANNERS

 Here are some general manners in regards to riding trains.

When using the escalators inside the stations (and in Tokyo in general), you stand on the LEFT, and walk on the RIGHT side of the escalators.
This is opposite from the Osaka area, where people stand on the RIGHT and walk on the LEFT.

Avoid talking on your mobile telephone, and set your phone to silent mode when riding on the train.

Please stand at the designated lined areas on the train platform when waiting for your train.